


Thrust & Parry

by AFCastleDefender



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Fencing, Fluff and Angst, Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-05
Updated: 2019-04-29
Packaged: 2019-10-22 15:47:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17665481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AFCastleDefender/pseuds/AFCastleDefender
Summary: Ben Solo is a three-time American Olympic gold-medalist in Fencing. Fairey (pronounced Fairy) Kenobi, known as simply Rey to her friends (for who can have their ass kicked by anyone named after a tiny winged creature?), is a first-time British Olympic Fencing champion. Ben and Rey are introduced by a mutual friend at an event in Olympic Village where they strike off one another like flints. Instant sexual tension leads to an unauthorized bout with sabres that ends with a passionate and stormy kiss. Everything points to more until Ben learns that Rey has been trained by his uncle at his family’s studio, a place he left behind after a painful adolescence filled with neglect and abuse in the name of Olympic victory. Ben and Rey are continually drawn together, almost as if some mysterious force has chosen them for one another, but can they overcome Ben’s past and Rey’s choices to become who they were meant to be?





	1. Ben Solo is HOT, or, In Other News, Finn is A Dead Man

Rey

“C’mon, Rey,” Finn prodded her, “you know you want to meet him! This is a perfect time. Personally, I think he’s a cocky bastard with too many endorsements filmed in his unmentionables, but don’t think that I haven’t noticed that every time his name is mentioned around you, your ears turn red.”

Rey gasped with indignation, fighting the temptation to reach up and cover her burning lobes. “They do not!”

Finn chuckled as Rey rolled her eyes at him. “Do, too! Don’t forget I saw your childhood bedroom. You’ve got it bad, Fai-Rey!”

Rey huffed out a breath. “Do not,” she insisted under her breath. Finn nudged her bicep a few times to get her attention again, a big grin on his handsome face. Rey frowned to try to discourage him from continuing the conversation. She shouldn’t expect anything less, though. Nothing was sacred around Finn. It was one of the things she loved best about him.

“Aw. Don’t be that way, tiny dancer. You know I only have your best interests at heart. When was the last time you had a date? Now that you have that gold medal hanging around your neck, it’s time to have some fun. Besides, we’re the host country. We must be hospitable! I’ll introduce you – _nice and casual_ \- no big deal, right?”

International diplomacy? Spreaders of good sportsmanship in the name of Olympic values? She was just about to get on board with that argument when Finn opened his mouth again.

“Who knows? Maybe you two can make cute little fencing babies together. Uncle Finn will buy them their first foils!” Finn waggled his eyebrows at her, swinging his hips lasciviously and thrusting an imaginary sword. Rey gasped with laughter and outrage as the agile beast avoided the backhand she attempted to give him before he ran ahead of her to put his arm around his friend from the American team, Poe Dameron.

“Ugh! Finn! Alright, fine,” she gave in, yelling after him, “but there better not be any innuendo or…or…hip wiggling… _or anything!”_

Finn called back to her with wicked intent, “You know me, _dahhhhling!_ Mwahahahaha!”

That’s _exactly_ what Rey was afraid of. _She was in so much trouble._

Finn had been harassing her about meeting Ben Solo ever since they met in front of the Olympic Village ten minutes ago. Now that she thought about it, Finn had been harassing her about meeting Ben Solo ever since he had come home with her one weekend more than a year ago and raided the room she had used as a teen. Posters and magazine articles about Ben Solo papered every corner of that space. When he saw it, Finn’s eyes had widened until she thought they would pop out of his well-groomed head. He had turned to her, right hand raised in oath, and solemnly promised her that as her best friend on the team and in the wide world at large, he would never, ever let her live that down.

Apparently, Finn meant to make good on that promise tonight. _Good grief._

It wasn’t just that Rey thought Ben Solo was hot, though the good Lord knew that he _was_. He really, _really_ was. It was that he had a single-minded determination to be the best fencer on planet Earth. Full stop. The intensity was there in every look and every movement. He fought angrily and with a diabolical grace that would send chills up the spine of anyone in his path. His passion spoke to her. It made her want to be better. To equal him in every way.

Rey had wanted to be standing on the top of the same podiums as Ben Solo one day. And now here she was.

If she were telling the truth, the only reason Rey was excited to go to the party that the International Olympic Organization was having for the fencing teams was that she might get to ogle all that dangerous, sexy-dark energy from afar.

Rey had been told that the IOO held these dry mixers after the events so that the international fencing community could get to know one another. It was really a networking event. Teams met, but individuals met coaches and agents at these events. Many competitors lived and trained in different countries in between major competitions. Rey herself trained with Luke Skywalker in Arizona a few months of every year since she had turned fifteen. 

When they walked into the venue, people in the official gear of their respective countries were milling around holding glasses of freshly-pressed juices, trading collector’s pins, and talking to old people in suits. Honestly, it all looked about as much fun as a root canal or a proctology exam, but as Rey knew there were no guarantees she might never be here again, she was determined to make the most of it.

The team made the rounds, meeting, and greeting as many other teams and guests as possible, determined to create goodwill for Great Britain’s fencing community. After they did their duty at the cattle call, Rey, Finn and some other friends planned to hit the pubs. She had a feeling she was going to need to meet several “teams” of tequila shots after Finn introduced her to Ben Solo.

So far, though, Rey hadn’t seen him, so there was always the hope that the notoriously anti-social Solo had opted to ditch this obligation.

Rey had half convinced herself that this would be the case when she saw him on the way to the hors-d'oeuvres table. He stood taller than almost everyone in the room, his hair as dark and shiny as a seal pelt. It hung to his shoulders, styled with a careless hand into something so incredibly sexy that she had to feel sorry for other lesser men. And they were all lesser.

Rey noticed that Ben had dispensed with the officially-issued and undoubtedly required United States Olympic Association uniform. Instead, the world-champion and three-time Olympic gold medalist was in his signature unrelieved black. She doubted anyone would dare to call him on it.

She laughed at the sight. Ben Solo reminded Rey of Maleficent crashing Sleeping Beauty’s royal christening. She half expected him to part the crowds and point a long finger at the silver-medalist he had defeated the day before to proclaim that the man would prick his finger on an epee and be plunged into a hundred-year sleep.

A lull in the conversations caused that laughter to rise over the crowd and draw the attention of more than a few pairs of eyes. 

Fortunately, or unfortunately, for Rey, two things happened in the very next moment.

First, Ben Solo’s dark eyes looked up to catch her laughing at him. His assessing gaze registered recognition and then narrowed on her before traveling insolently from the top of Rey’s head, down her body to the tips of her rubber-soled shoes and back again. It was lazy. It was blatant. _It was the most erotic thing that had ever happened to her._

She knew she must be hallucinating. Ben Solo had just ogled _her_. Rey squeezed her legs together to stave off the stab of lust that had just set her lady bits on fire. She felt as if she had just been caressed by a welcome hand and it sent a telltale shiver up her spine despite her best efforts to contain it.

As if compelled by some unseen Force, Ben Solo strode forward, parting the crowds just as she had envisioned and didn’t stop until he was well inside her personal space, smirking at her with liquid, dark eyes as brown-black as strong coffee.

The second thing that happened was a large hand lightly slapped her shoulder as Finn stepped forward to make introductions. “Ah, Solo,” Finn greeted him, “congrats on your win, man. _Really_. Though I know I speak for many of us, when I request that you not appear anywhere on packages of skivvies as part of future endorsement deals. It’s fucking strange ripping into a new pack that sports your likeness. No offense, but I don’t want to think of you when I’m naked.”

Ben snorted at that but didn’t have the opportunity to respond. Because Finn wasn’t finished.

_Not.Even.Close._

“So, yeah,” Finn began, delivering the introduction like the Queen of England has just popped in for tea, “Ben Solo, I’d like to make known to you my best friend and, as of today, Women’s Olympic Gold Medalist, Fairey Kenobi, known to her friends and brooding foreign men who clearly have the hots for her, as Rey.”

Pausing to turn to Rey, Finn extended the humiliation. “Rey? I’d like you to meet the dark and virile knight of the fencing world, Ben Solo, who cornered me after your last bout today and demanded that I convince you to meet him, though I doubt he wanted me to tell you.”

Rey could feel her face go up in flames. _She was going to kill Finn._ Slowly. After all, she had the skills and equipment back in her room to do it. She could feel the eyes of all the guests around them glued to their conversation. Half that crowd was agape. The other half were laughing their asses off. 

Hold it together, Rey. _Hold it together._ He’s just a man. He’s an athlete like you. Somewhere out there, he also has a mother. He puts his pants on one leg at a time. He probably drools in his sleep. Finn humiliated him, too.

Taking a deep breath, Rey stuck out her hand and gave him her most disarming smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Ben. I’ve been a fan for a long time.”

Rey could feel Finn grinning widely as he set a hand on each of them like a referee telling two boxers to fight clean. "Just remember, you two," Finn interjected, "I expect to be named a godfather of your first child. 'Finn Solo' has a nice ring to it."

The darkly handsome man in front of her nodded at Finn but didn't break eye contact with her for a moment. "Thanks, Finn. Now fuck off." Finn smiled to himself and chuckled. "Fucking off..." And then he was gone. 

Ben took her hand, holding it longer than was strictly necessary, his deeper-than-deep voice purring at her. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you as well, Rey. I’ve been watching your awakening career with some interest. You’re an absolute _scavenger_.”

Rey frowned. Scavenger? He had been following her career. _What the hell?_ “I’m sorry? I’m not sure I understand what you mean.”

Ben leaned forward, his eyes and hair capturing her full attention, his broad shoulders blocking out the rest of the room.

Gods he smelled good.

“I mean that you’re hungry, little pixie. You fight like you are guarding your last meal and you don’t let up until you are satisfied.” Ben’s words could have been about the intensity of her bouts but given that he had not yet let go of her hand, she was sure that his meaning had nothing to do with fencing.

 _That_ got her back up. Cocky bastard, indeed.

Did he really just think that she was going to roll into bed with him? She wanted to slap him. _She wanted to lick him._

Whatever he saw in her face, one dark brow arched high in challenge. “What do you say we get out of here and get to something that feels more crucial?”

Rey understood what Ben meant immediately. “Sabres?”

A sardonic gleam filled his eyes and the corner of his mouth lifted in the most wickedly sexy curve she had ever seen.

“Sabres,” Ben Solo confirmed.

_Oh, it was on._


	2. Cupid's Shock & Awe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben is ambushed in the best of ways, Rey tries to kill him with a little black dress, they ponder the transcendental question: Boxers or briefs, and Hux does Ben a favor. 
> 
> My deepest and most abject apologies for the delay in updating. I had an urgent project in RL that I had to focus on day and night for two weeks. *Shrinks in her seat.* And then...then...I had to go to Maui. Sorry. Maui. Yeah. Anyway, this is a long chapter, but I hope that it helps make up for the delay in posting.
> 
> Also...thank you VERY, VERY much to the lovely and talented Desiree B who created the mood board for me. (Ya'll - if it doesn't post, please help. I have never had an image in a story!) You must have thought I was nuts and abandoned this after so long not posting. I am grateful!

Ben was a few minutes early picking Rey up for their date, but he still felt impatient for her to join him. Shifting his weight from one foot to the other, he did a quick snap of his fingers before swinging one fist into the palm of his opposite hand. He ran a hand through his hair, painfully conscious that he was not in possession of his legendary control.

 _He was fidgeting, damn it._ Rey made him fidget.

He tried to still the ungoverned movements of his body by crossing his arms, but to no avail. Ben was eager to see Rey again and the intensity of that eagerness made him nervous. Usually able to crush anxiety with ruthless purpose, the feeling of disquiet presently dancing in his veins reminded him of a time when he had been young and hopeful and trusting. Stupid. Ben Solo didn’t do stupid and vulnerable anymore. He’d given it up for Lent. Abandoned it at a kill shelter.

The air was a little chilled after a light rain and the mist clung to hair still damp from his shower. After their bout in the training facility, Ben had invited Rey to join him at the pub where Poe Dameron and John Finn were undoubtedly acting as the evening’s cruise directors for the British and American teams. And anyone else who wandered in. It was their thing and they were loved universally by the entire international fencing community for it.

Spending time with anyone other than Rey tonight held little appeal, but Rey would be more likely to spend time with him if they were around her friends. Strategy. If there was one thing that Ben could call upon, even when he couldn’t make his fucking body settle down, was a strategy.

While he waited, Ben did everything possible to distract himself from facing what had happened to him back at the training facility. The one thing that he had avoided in any form with anyone. The thing that was causing him to set aside his legendary control and sweat like a damned teenaged boy on his first date.

_He was in love._

No bullshit.

It had happened just like that. Ben had never believed in anything remotely like love. His parents’ marriage was the train wreck that stopped at every station and sacrificed the first-class passengers. The people who were supposed to “love” you treated you like shit when they did pay attention to you. The rest of the time they were off doing whatever the hell they wanted to do or blaming you for the mistakes in their lives.  

Ben believed in _lust._ He believed in good, old-fashioned, no-strings-attached _fucking_. He believed in making excuses and leaving just as soon as it was socially acceptable. Or unacceptable. It didn’t matter.

Hell, he barely _liked_ people in general. _Liking_ was not a requirement for fucking.

 _But loving someone?_ Rey Kenobi could be a lunatic. She could sleep with socks on and chew with her mouth open for all he knew. Yet the unmistakable feelings had snuck up on him like a goddamned hit and run where you see the whole accident as it happens to you but are no less stunned when the asshole who hit you just drives away.

All Ben knew was that he had been totally turned on by mouthy, feisty _, fucking luminous,_ Rey Kenobi. After their mutual challenge at the social, they met at the training facility to work off a little of their instant sexual tension. Ben had looked forward to spending a sweaty hour with the sexy Brit on the training piste before suggesting that they continue their game of thrust and parry in his room. Instead, Ben had found himself challenged – and he rarely felt challenged – by a pocket goddess with a sabre, trying to win a stupid bet he had made, _all while losing his fucking heart._

It might as well have spilled out of his chest and rolled to her feet because _it was fucking gone_.

The end.

Ben could hear his former coach right now. “Distractions will kill your career, young Solo. You cannot fulfill your destiny if you maintain relationships that drain your focus and dilute your power.” In the end, Snoke had been a jackass and just as abusive as his uncle. He had been happy to crush both _those_ relationships by the time his second gold medal was hung around his neck. Still, he had a point.

Ben shook his head. None of that mattered because Rey was different. She had been different since the moment when Ben’s teammate, Dopheld Mitaka, had pointed her out at the World Championships. Normally Dope had lousy taste in women, but Ben had been instantly captivated by her small, lithe form as she practiced in a corner of the arena. Rey floated through every move, her eyes closed, fighting an imaginary opponent with a singular and mesmerizing focus. She wasn’t afraid of running into anything. She trusted her body. Fencers worked on that kind of self-awareness for years. The majority never found it.

After that, Ben had stuck around to watch her win, something he never did when he was competing.  He Googled videos of her bouts, as impressed with Rey’s stats as he had been with her ass. Being starstruck was a new thing for him. When he had mentioned her to the one man he knew well enough on the British team, Finn had been more than happy to volunteer himself to make introductions. It turned out that Finn was Rey’s best friend, so he had come to the right place. The asshole had quizzed Ben for ten minutes on whether he was “up-to-date with his shots” and made Ben promise to be upfront with Rey about what he wanted from her.

( _Sex_. To be clear, he’d wanted lots and lots of sex.)

Finn had eyed him up, an unholy twinkle in his eyes. Nudging his chin at Ben, he laughed with glee, “I cannot wait to introduce you two! That ginger wanker is going to be so pissed!” Shaking his hand and gripping a shoulder, Finn delivered the best friend’s verdict: “You’ll look good with her, Solo.”

Ben had not responded. He wanted Rey in his bed, but he had no plan to “look good next to” anyone except behind closed doors. Horizontally and with satisfying impermanence.

Things with Rey had started as he had expected once Ben had escorted her out of that lame-ass IOO party where they had finally met. Witty banter. Anticipation.

_“Meet you at the training facility in fifteen minutes?” Ben inquired._

_“I wouldn’t miss it, Solo. Though, if you’re not there,” Rey offered with mock generosity, “I’ll understand. No shame.”_

_“Pixie,” Ben grinned, “you seem awfully sure of yourself and that only makes me want to teach you a lesson…or three. I think that we are going to need to make this a little more interesting, don’t you?”_

_“What did you have in mind there, Athos?”_

_Ben threw his head back and laughed, long and hearty._ This girl. She’d read the Musketeers. _He liked her more than a little. “Athos? Um…no. Not Athos. That asshole pines away for his lying ex-wife for, like, the entire book. I have always identified more closely with D’Artagnan. That’s a guy who knows how to have fun.”_

_Rey rolled her eyes. The women’s gold medalist rolled her eyes at him. No one ever did shit like that to Ben. They were too busy kissing his ass or grabbing it. Ben found he liked that she was apparently unimpressed and unintimidated by him._

_He liked it a lot._

_“That figures,” his lovely companion said under her breath. “D’Artagnan can’t keep it in his pants, either.”_

_Ben feigned hurt, grabbing his chest as if he were about to bleed out all over the streets of the Olympic Village. “You wound me, Pix! You are judging me based on idle gossip. Besides, I haven’t whipped it out_ once _during our conversation.”_

_Rey Kenobi dissolved into helpless giggles, making him grin. Despite her feigned impatience with their exchange, Ben could see the excitement in her eyes. An answering excitement grew in his belly. Rey was so clearly game for whatever Ben threw at her. That quality was what had made him notice her. She had a quiet assurance that pulled him in._

_Small, agile, and quick as a cat, her competition had no chance. He had never seen Rey’s equal except while watching his own bouts on film._

_“You don’t fool me, Kenobi. I can tell you are trying to distract me from considering what the prize will be for whoever wins our bout.” That earned him another eye roll. Ben raised a hand to grasp his chin, making a show of considering the matter. “I’ve got it. Loser marches with the winner’s team at the closing ceremonies while wearing the other’s uniform.”_

_Brilliant, Solo. Keep her next to you. He could already see her walking with him around the track of the stadium, holding up his official Old Glory windbreak pants, her defeat broadcast to a billion people._

_A delighted laugh burst from that gorgeous mouth. “That’s so very evil!” Rey gasped. “Also, absolutely perfect. You are going to look fantastic wearing one of my uniforms! Although it may look like you need to let out the hem about eight inches or so.”_

_Ben laughed. “Pixie,” Ben advised her, “you may want to start looking for a belt. Even with the elastic, I don’t think my pants are going to fit around that tiny waist.”_

Yeah, that was how it had started.

An hour later, Ben had found himself battling with his warrior elf princess on a training piste at one of the Olympic facilities nearby, sweat pouring off him as he thrust towards her and she had responded in kind. Rey’s stamina was impressive. It reminded him for a moment of how much younger she was, but it also made him think about the things she had yet to do with her talent.

She could try to hide it, but Rey was clearly a fan. Ben could see some of his signature moves adapted for Rey’s own sure-footed, flowing style. Ben’s style was to divide and conquer. His gift was his size and focus. He never let up. He liked his opponent to never be quite sure that he wasn’t going to rip off his mask and start punching the shit of them. Rey’s had that same raw promise, but it was woven into a natural, elegant dance.

She was mesmerizing the way that hummingbirds were or waterfalls or blown glass as it glowed and expanded.

_What.the.fuck?_

Suddenly, Ben had not been able to make himself defeat her. Rey was strong, stronger than some of his weaker male opponents, but he would have worn her down eventually. The trouble was that Ben never wanted to be the author of any kind of disappointment or self-doubt in her mind. He’d love to train with her, he’d love to make her come even more, but none of that was going to happen if he attacked her with the same single-minded drive he had used on Britain’s team captain, Armitage Hux, two days ago.

Carefully, he pulled back a fraction each time their sabres struck. Ben did enough to defend himself but allowed her the opportunity to catch him with the tip of her weapon. He hoped that he could lose convincingly. Finally, they both stopped, panting, hands on their knees until Rey straightened ripped off her mask, her dimples flashing.

“I got you, Solo!” Rey did a victory dance around him that would have annoyed him had it been performed by anyone but her. “I cannot wait to see you in floods with the Union Jack stretched across that enormous chest!”

Ben stepped into her personal space, smirking down at her, and nodded once. “You did, Pixie. _You got me.”_ Rey was too busy celebrating to notice the odd catch in his voice as he acknowledged her victory. “I will hold up my end of the bargain. I will even take you to the pub for a victory libation.”

“Deal!” Rey smiled again, bouncing on the balls of her little feet and knocking the wind straight out of him.

She was fucking gorgeous, even covered in sweat and gloating. He was in so much trouble.

Ben was pulled from recalling the events of not more than an hour ago when he noticed Rey exiting her building. She smiled at him, those dimples teasing him once again with mischief and sensual promise.

He would be lying if he said that he had not almost swallowed his tongue when she got close enough for Ben to study her. Rey was wearing the kind of little black dress that caused 99% of all other little black dresses to dye themselves green with envy. The dress was short and form-fitting with little peek-a-boo cutouts that included a generous helping of small but sweetly rounded side-boob.

Suddenly, Ben needed a drink. Not alcohol, though he was certain after Cupid’s shock and awe campaign, a shot of whiskey was in his future. No, he needed water. Agua! Pronto. One glance at the sexy woman next to him and he was absolutely parched.  

Rey’s curves were subtle, unsurprising given her sport, but they were most definitely there. Her skin was the color of sun-warmed sand dunes that had been sifted and polished by a constant breeze. Paired with red heels and lips, Ben knew that she was trying to kill him.

“Sorry! I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long, Ben.” Rey reached up to give him a hug and his arms immediately stole around her waist, inhaling the spicy-floral scent of bergamot, not squandering an opportunity to be close to her. He was thrilled she wanted to be close to him and initiated the contact.

Trying to swallow past the tumbleweed lodged in his throat, Ben decided to act like a normal human being. “Not at all, Rey. I was early…and… _believe me_ , the results are more than worth it. You are beautiful.” Rey smiled shyly at him, clearly happy to receive the compliment. “Is it alright with you if we walk?” At her nod, he took her wrap and leaned one elbow out for her to take his arm. It felt incredibly right when she wrapped both of hers around it as they strolled toward the pub.

Son of a bitch. _Ben._

When she’d said his name (and it was rare that anyone called him by his first name these days), two things had happened. First, his cock stood right up, making him glad that he had gone with the longer black Henley over his black jeans. Second, he had somehow morphed into the perfect gentleman his mother had always nagged him to be. That more than anything had him _really fucking scared_. He could not remember a time when he had been with a woman and had been so careful with his manners.  

The moment they walked through the door of the pub, they were commandeered by the self-appointed cruise directors of the American and British fencing teams, Poe Dameron and John Finn.  As far as Ben was concerned, Finn and Poe were Cockblockers of the Third Kind.  Those evil bastards basically showed up out of the clear blue sky and abducted them like aliens. _Fuck that._ All Ben wanted to do was discuss with his little pixie _their own_ ‘very special relationship’ while she was meeting his every thrust with a parry. Unfortunately, his fucking manners stepped in to save the day.

“C’mon lovebirds,” Poe ordered, slapping their backs and pushing them through the growing crowds, “time to belly up to the bar to celebrate the ‘very special relationship’ of our two great countries. This calls for tequila!”

Three shots later, Ben had to admit that he was happy with his consolation prize. He was seated at the bar, the sexiest woman he had ever seen standing between his long legs,  her small hand riding ever higher on his thigh as the alcohol did its magic on them both.

His chatty pocket goddess was even now playing a game of “get to know you” with Ben that was turning ever more personal. He was happy to answer any questions she had. Even better, the members of their respective teams had scattered around the bar and were all busy finding themselves their own adventures in diplomacy.

“I’d ask you ‘boxers or briefs?’ but I already know the answer.”

 _Oh, Pixie,_ Ben thought, y _ou will pay for that._

Ben leaned forward, using the noise of the bar to his advantage, his eyes capturing her gaze like a tractor beam. “You know, Pixie,” he whispered, “everyone makes assumptions about me. That’s a very personal question. I think that it would be best if you found out for yourself.”

He smiled in slow satisfaction as he watched his words rumble along her skin, causing Rey to catch her breath. Ben loved her mouth. He wanted to dive in and never come up for air. He wanted to nip on the curves and dip of her upper lip and then sooth the sting with his tongue. He looked forward to exploring that hot cavern, planning to learn her from the inside out.

Before either of them got to say anything else, a harsh and angry voice interrupted them. “Good God, Kenobi,” Armitage Hux said, trying to insinuate himself between Rey and Ben. “I thought you had better sense than to mix yourself up with this _knob head_.”

Ben could see Rey stiffen at Hux’s presence. He didn’t know what her reaction meant, though he had some educated guesses. He didn’t like it one bit. Meeting her eyes, Ben gently drew Rey closer to him, shouldering Hux out of their space with his superior bulk, tucking her into the safety of his body. Ben placed his hand over Rey’s where it rested on his thigh. Where it belonged.

“Ah, _Number Two_ ,” Ben drawled to Hux, “I was wondering if you would show up. There must be at least three or four people here just dying to see your latest silver medal. I’m sure you could parlay that into an endorsement for port-a-johns or something. Strong marketing tie-in, that. You must be so excited.”

Suddenly Rey turned her body into his, melting against him. Ben immediately wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in tight, his eyes still on the reddening asshole to his left. When Rey buried her face in the cove of his neck and her shoulders started shaking, Ben grew alarmed. _What the hell had Armitage Hux done to her?_

Pulling back slightly, Ben transferred his hands to her cheeks, trying to determine just what had her so upset. As a humiliated and angry Hux retreated into the crowd, Ben realized that he had read the situation wrong. Rey wasn’t upset, she was laughing, tears and mascara running down her smooth cheeks.

And then she snorted, making him laugh. “Did…” Rey paused to catch her breath, another trill of laughter escaping her lips as she fought for control. _“Did you just call Armitage Hux ‘Number Two’?”_

At Ben’s nod, Rey broke into gales of musical laughter, her hands finding purchase on his forearms as her whole body shook with mirth. When her laughter faded to random guffaws and wide smiles that charmed him like a siren’s call, Rey wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. Her eyes were heavy with desire. Ben snuggled her closer, loving the sensation of her warm body so close to his.

This was good. He could work with this. If he didn’t put too fine a point on it, Ben mused, he owed Hux a huge favor for helping him bypass the rest of the get-to-know-you phase. Not that he would ever repay that repulsive, climbing, stick insect.

Ben brushed his lips over Rey's smooth forehead.

_He was a goner._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for being patient! This was a long chapter and I hope, worth it and that it made you smile.
> 
> Tall, Dark and Broody falls and falls FAST. When you think about it, dear Reylos, that's what's going on in canon, too. Right? Right? Right. Yes. December. It's happening. 
> 
> Ahem. 
> 
> What did you think? Please let me know that you forgive me and are still here by leaving me some comments. I will try to be more faithful in posting! XO


	3. Scotch and Stroopwafels

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MATURE WARNING! If you are under the age of 18 or not into sexual content with your romance, do not read this chapter! It's not for you. You have been warned. Having stated that, rest assured that the purpose of this chapter is not just smut for smut's sake. It is also about emotion and I will catch you up next chapter.
> 
> Ben and Rey wake up together in the women's dormitory where he is most definitely not supposed to be. I wish I could tell you they were scandalized and concerned about their reputations or possible sanctions/loss of medals from the powers that be, but they're not. They're really not.

Rey

Ben Solo’s sleeping body was wrapped around hers like a blanket. Her head rested on his strong shoulder and her nose was snuggled up to his collarbone. With every breath, she was gifted with the scent of leather, citrus, and a woodsy, roasted hint of scotch whisky. Basically, he was delicious and arousing and everything she had imagined him to be when Rey had been an obsessed teenager. It was almost painful not to stick out her tongue and taste his skin, solving another cherished mystery.

Rey wished that she could look back with what she absolutely _knew_ would be _extreme satisfaction_ after a night of passion in Ben’s arms, but the fact was that they were both still (mostly) clothed. Ben had taken off his henley to reveal a black t-shirt underneath that lovingly stretched across every dip and muscle. He wore black boxer briefs of the same brand that he endorsed and that framed other things more than lovingly. Things that _she_ wanted to frame with her small hands. At least, she reflected, she had worn a matching bra and panties.  

She had dragged Ben up the back stairs of the women’s dormitory, risking everything that she had worked for and won, for the promise of one night of pleasure in his arms. Ben made her feel free as if every rule and expectation could be re-written to suit her. To suit them _both_.

Rey had sparred with this man in a sport they both loved. She had bested him as she had so often fantasized. They had shared drinks and conversation more stimulating than the hands of the last man she had allowed to touch her intimately. She could no longer remember the face or the name that belonged to that man.

There was only Ben.

After their run-in at the pub with the smarmy, orange bastard whose wandering hands during fencing team practices Rey _could_ remember with perfect clarity, she and Ben had worked their way through a bottle of very fine single malt scotch that had, unfortunately, guaranteed both would pass out the minute they got horizontal. Rey had climbed on his lap, Ben’s strong arms wrapped tightly around her waist, and kissed him with abandon like no one was watching.

But people _had_ been watching. Jealous women. Jealous men. Annoyed teammates and pub regulars who didn’t appreciate the spectacle. Only Finn and Poe had saluted her, raising a glass in toast of encouragement to her boldness.

Rey didn’t care what anyone else thought. She hoped there were pictures for posterity. She was exactly where she wanted to be, with exactly the person she wanted most. Rey wasn’t sure if teenaged infatuation could turn into love at first sight, but if it could, it had happened to her.  

Ben stirred as sunlight filtered through the blinds. She grinned as he pursed his beautiful lips and fought to shake off sleep. Rey wondered if he had a hangover. She would admit to having a slight headache and needing some water, but there was no chance she would allow that to ruin the happiness that accompanied waking up in his arms.

Finally, those fathomless brown eyes opened to find hers. A spark of anxiety clutched at the beating organ in her chest as she wondered if he would feel the same as she did about having spent the entire night by the other’s side. Ben did not seem the type of man who slept over.   

Rey did not need to worry. His arms tightened perceptibly as Ben registered where he was and who he held. The sleepy smile he gave her, the touch of his hand on her cheek, the touch of his forehead to hers told her what she needed to know.  

A sleep-muddled Ben Solo was a Ben Solo stripped of pretense. The legendary control and frosty sarcasm were gone. In their place were tenderness and a flattering fascination as he studied each strand of her hair, her eyelashes, and her skin. Finally, he bent to press a tiny and lingering kiss on the upper curve of Rey’s lips before drawing back to study the curve of her jaw and follow that line back to trace the shell of her ear and the small diamond stud that pierced it. She sighed.

 _Ben was memorizing her._ Her breath caught at that thought, wanting so much to believe that she had already slipped beneath his defenses.

“Good morning, Pixie,” said that bottomless voice of gravel and smoke.

Rey gave him the smile that she knew would only ever belong to him from now on. She wasn’t sure she would ever have the chance to tell him, but she loved when he called her ‘Pixie’. It felt like something that he didn’t do for everyone else. “Good morning.”

‘We fell asleep before…” Ben’s eyes never left hers as he allowed his words to trail off with suggestion. Rey suppressed a shiver. She nodded.

“I should sneak you out of here,” Rey responded in the same even tone. Ben nodded in return, but neither of them made a move.  

_Heartbeat…breath…_

Carefully, Ben shifted her under him, stretching out to his full length. He laced the fingers of his right hand with those of her left hand before resting them against her pillow. Ben studied that connection with an unnamed emotion that he did not voice, but that caused her eyes to well with relief. If Rey had to describe what she saw in his gaze, she might call it belonging. The end of a very long journey. After losing so many people in her life, she understood that look very well.

Nudging her legs apart, Ben settled himself against her core, his body a comforting weight that was perfect in its pressure and warmth. His impressive erection throbbed against her causing her body to respond in kind.

“Rey,” Ben whispered, “is this okay?”

“Yes,” came Rey’s simple reply. No snark. No hiding.

Ben leaned down to taste her, his hand still clutching hers tightly as he made love to her mouth. Desire rose between them, punctuated by gasps and desperate breaths. Rey’s free hand found its way under his shirt to glide across warm skin and hard muscle, her fingers trailing down the trench of his spine, causing Ben to arch and moan, pressing himself more snuggly against her.

Rearing up and breaking the contact of their hands, Ben lifted his shirt above his head, giving her better access to him and an unmatched view of a world-class athlete in his prime. Every inch of Ben was beautiful. His arms and torso had deep scars that kept his form from being too perfect, the curves and puckers telling stories without a beginning. Somehow those emblems of survival made him more beautiful. She leaned up to trace them with her mouth. The breath huffed out of Ben’s lungs as if her kisses had administered long-awaited healing that stung him with pleasure.

Ben reached down to lightly finger the front clasp of her bra, his eyes asking for permission. She gave it to him immediately with a nod, dying for his touch. He spread the cups of the garment with reverence, his gaze darkening at the sight of her breasts. Diving in to taste one hardened nipple and then its partner, Ben settled in to suckle deeply, the tip of his tongue plucking at the sensitive bud. Rey plunged her fingers in the rich pelt of his hair, tugging it at the roots as she moaned and fell deep into the pleasure that shot down to her clit.

Ben whispered her name and she shuddered at its demand. Pulling his body to hers with the anchor of his hair, she gasped at the satisfying feel of the coarse hairs of his chest crushing into the soft skin of hers. Invading his mouth with her tongue, she sucked on it, causing him to tunnel his arms under her body and squeeze her with desperation.

She watched with her impatience as he pulled back to kneel, arranging her thighs over his so that she was laid open for him. Ben’s massive palm covered an entire breast, the sight so wholly erotic that Rey could feel herself quicken with need. “Lower, Ben,” she begged. The throbbing between her legs had become unbearable.

Ben smirked at her, clearly determined to keep his own timetable and roam over the landscape of her body at will. Slowly, deliberately, he kissed a wet trail from the underside of each breast down the center of her abdomen, making her squirm, pausing to enjoy the shivers his hot breath caused on her cooling skin.

When he came to the silken barrier of her panties, he rested one finger on the circle of dampness that had soaked through, gently rocking that finger back in forth in a motion that made her need almost painful. “Do you want me, Rey? Do you want me here?”

Gulping air, Rey stared down at his dark head, ready to beg for what she needed. “Yes,” she whispered.

Ben nodded. “What do you want me to do?” he purred with wicked intent. “Tell me exactly what you need…and I’ll give it to you.” Ben rested his head on her thigh and waited, his finger still rasping lightly against the fabric of her panties.

 _She was going to murder him._ Rey had never been so bold with a lover and she had a feeling that Ben knew it. He wanted her to chart new territory with him, own her pleasure. It infuriated her and excited her past pride. “I want you to put your tongue on my clit. I want you to lick me until I have an aneurysm. Are you happy?”

Ben leaned up to kiss the wet spot on her panties. “ _Very_. That’s exactly what I am going to do for you, beautiful girl.” Ben hooked his thumbs into her panties and drew them down her legs, dropping them to the floor. Moving to kneel next to the small bed, his strong hands turned her easily. He guided her legs over his shoulders, bringing her arousal nearly to his mouth.

While she watched, pulling needed oxygen into her lungs, Ben inhaled deeply. Taking in her scent as a connoisseur might take in the aroma of a gourmet meal. “Look at you,” he purred before dipping low to lick one long stripe from back to front. With that, Rey closed her eyes and held on for dear life as Ben enjoyed her.

Everything in the known universe shrunk down to the dance of his tongue over her most intimate place, the delicate pokes and laves, the wetness that was hers and his as they both chased her pleasure. It went on for long minutes, Ben devoted to winning this battle for her surrender. Rey was so out of control as the pressure built deep in her body, as her hips moved in counterpoint to the rhythm of his ministrations, that her limbs tingled with pure electrical current, her nerves in overload from the intensity of sensation.

Rey wasn’t going to survive it. She was certain. Nothing… _nothing…_ had ever felt _this good_.    

As Ben picked up his pace, taking his queues from her strangled moans, everything exploded behind her eyes, shattering that perfect darkness with white light. She screamed, but Ben quickly planted one large palm over her mouth, determined that they would not be outed by the IOO’s ample security. Just at that moment, Rey didn’t care if she lost her gold medal. She’d gladly hand it over to have that pleasure again and again.

Ben moved her back on the bed and watched her with unhidden satisfaction as she fought to catch her breath. He didn’t wipe the glistening moisture from his face. Instead, he held her stare and sunk over her body once again. He kissed her, wanting her to taste herself on him, sharing in the carnal excess.

Her fingers found the strands of his magnificent hair again as she kissed him back, caressing him, thanking him, urging him on until Ben spoke.

“I brought condoms,” he whispered, waiting. “Will you let me fuck you, Pixie? I need you so much.” Ben watched her carefully, waiting for permission, his breaths shallow with want.

Rey’s eyes went glassy with desire and appreciation. Ben Solo was a thoughtful and thorough lover. He gave her everything and had not demanded anything for himself. She could feel against her thigh how badly he wanted her. She already knew that she was lost. “We both know we’re clean, Ben,” she told him shyly. “I have an IUD. _I want you so much_.”

Something crystallized in Ben's beautiful eyes, a confirmation of something he had clearly turned over in his mind. He nodded briefly before reaching between them to shove his boxer briefs down his thighs. Rey bent to help him, catching the fabric of that last barrier between her toes to push them as far down as her shorter legs could push them before Ben kicked them off.

Rey had never done this in broad daylight. That it should be with the man who was both her fantasy and her reality thrilled her. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, sliding to his muscled backside.

Staring deeply into one another’s eyes, Rey caught her breath as Ben pushed himself home inside her body.  She gloried in the heavy slide of him as he surged to her depths. She could feel his lungs expand in his chest as he fought for control and she could feel her muscles squeeze him, wanting to keep him even as he pulled back to slide home again.

“ _Ungh…_ ” Ben panted. “You feel so good, Rey. I knew we’d be so good…” He began a steady rhythm that increased every few strokes, her body supplying the means of an easy glide, his skin slapping at hers as they gained speed. And still, it went on.

Rey moaned with every thrust, fought to keep up with his rhythm as her overtaxed senses tried to process the magic that was fucking…that was _making love with_ …Ben Solo. Because it was both. It was both of those things and she thought she would need to do it another dozen times before she could accept that sexy dichotomy. Whatever this was, it made her feel both dirty and clean.

_It was bloody fantastic._

She had no sense of time, but at last Rey could feel herself begin to slide over the edge again. Ben watched her, nodding his head, grinning as he felt and saw the impact of his strokes. She could see that he was close as well, peaking down between them, grunting uncontrollably with each push. “That’s it, Rey…let go with me. _So good_.” Rey nodded eagerly, arching her back to reach for what a shared climax. A few more sharp strokes and they were both gone, Ben’s mouth sealed to hers as release washed over them like a pounding rain.

After a few breathless moments where Ben buried his head in her hair and Rey wrapped her arms around his neck, Ben rolled them over. Tucked against him and blissed out, Rey kissed his chest and smiled as he squeezed her closer, both long arms wrapping completely around her smaller frame, allowing no space. She did not need to look at him to know Ben was happy, too. It was like a precious secret to know him this way. It was a secret she hoped to keep safe forever.

They were quiet for a while, just stroking one another with tickles and tender worship until Ben broke the silence.

“ _Mmm_ , Pixie,” Ben sighed, contentedly, drawing in and then exhaling a long breath in the fall of her hair. “You smell like a _stroopwafel_.”

Rey let out an outraged laugh. “ _Excuse me?!_ ” She stared at him like he’d lost a screw. “Like the biscuits they give you on airplanes in place of real food?”

The jackass!

 _S_ _troopwafel,_ indeed. That was the very last thing she had ever expected to hear, and Rey absolutely resented that she found it the most charming thing anyone had ever said to her. She loved the things Ben said at his most wicked and found she  _still_  had the urge to slap him. Hard. And he absolutely knew it.

Ben chuckled. An amused rumble, really.

“Yes. Toasted caramel with a hint of cinnamon.” Ben lifted his head to let her see the mischief dancing in his eyes. He kissed the tip of her nose and then the corner of her mouth. “Firm, but so soft inside.” His voice dropped to a husky whisper, “ _And you melt in my mouth when heated._ ”

Blushing with outrage and unwilling delight, Rey shoved his chest and laughed uncontrollably.

Suddenly Ben rolled to loom over her again and began to tickle her without mercy. “Ben!” she choked out between maddened giggles and huffing breaths, “stop!” The onslaught continued as he tried to get her to say that she was a stroopwafel. “Say it!” he demanded, grinning at her from behind his inky hair. “Say it and I’ll stop.”

Rey gave in. She was exhausted. “Fine! I’m a stroopwafel!”

His growl of triumph was as full-bodied as the scotch they'd drunk last night, but Ben wasn't done. "Now say, 'Ben has a big sword!"

Rey burst into peals of laughter. "I will not!" Ben renewed his attack until she all but shouted it into the small room.

Ben stopped, kissing her mouth in reward. His face grew serious as they both tried to catch their breath for the tenth time that morning. “Now say you’re mine.”

Rey’s heart stopped. Ben wanted to be hers. 

_He felt it, too._

Pulling him down for a tender kiss, Rey framed Ben's handsome, stubbled face in her small hands.

“ _I’m yours._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello to my small but faithful band of readers! I want to offer you my sincere thanks for coming back to this fic and me. A gentle reminder to search the fandom in AO3 for stories from authors who are unheralded by social media. There is some golden stuff out there to encourage and support, but you might miss it if you rely solely on links for your fix. It isn't about lists, editors, mood boards (which, don't get me wrong, I do enjoy) or promotion. The beautiful thing about fanfiction is that it is mostly done by amateurs who just hope to share the simple joy of writing with us without pressure. Read everyone whose tags sync with your preferences! Thanks for hearing me out. 
> 
> Now, then. This chapter. Basically, Ben loves Rey and Rey loves Ben! They do more than touch fingers! Their love may have been quick like instant coffee, but I assure you that it tastes as deep and rich as a slow roast. I have tried to write this chapter with equal parts sass and feelings. My hope is that these two won't ever stop bantering. I love that in couples. I have that with my special someone. I saw him on a street corner when I was 21 and the rest is a long, beautiful, and sometimes snarky, comical history. He owns my heart.
> 
> I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! Let me know what you thought. 
> 
> Next up is Ben's point of view, some fun at the closing ceremonies, and trouble on the horizon! Dun dun dun! :) XO


	4. Suspiciously like Happiness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben & Rey are called in front of the Olympic committee when Ben is "caught" strolling the halls of the women's dormitory looking for Rey. (Ben's bright idea on getting himself out of her building in the light of day without getting Rey in trouble was to run around the halls screaming her name like a drunk idiot as if they hadn't just spent the night together!) Rey's secrets about Hux see the bright light of day as well and Ben and Rey give the Olympic officials an ultimatum. They make an important admission to one another before they decide it's time for pancakes and canoodling. (Hint...next chapter is smut and the closing ceremony before...dun, dun DUN!)  
> Trigger warnings: Sexual Harassment of a teenager/young woman. If these are difficult topics for you, please skip this chapter.

Ben

Ben had _no fucking clue_ what to do with a girlfriend, but he had one. He was conscious of emotion bubbling like trapped gas in his chest, just under his collarbones, and slightly to the left of center. It felt suspiciously like happiness, but it had been so long since he’d felt anything stronger than _tolerance_ on the positive side of the emotional spectrum, he couldn’t be sure.

Sitting in the rented administrative offices of the London Olympics next to said girlfriend, Ben’s gaze kept straying to Rey’s profile, taking her in and wishing that the damned lecture would be over so that he could back her into the supply closet and land them in even more trouble.

Ben sighed. He couldn’t do that to Rey, though. No matter how much he loved the shape and taste of that sassy mouth of hers, she had worked too hard to become a champion. His girl was a good girl and he was not going to allow his reputation to taint hers.

The coaches and Olympic officials droned on.

They had moved from the “highly disappointed” phase to “expectations of decorum and conduct as exhibited in the Olympic oath.” Next would come “ambassadors of sport” and then heavy and dramatic sighs before, “though the investigation could not prove misconduct, blah, blah, blah.” Ben had heard the speech more than once.

He had promised Rey breakfast. Ben interrupted.

“I honestly don’t understand why Ms. Kenobi is here. What, exactly, did she allegedly _do_? Surely you do not expect to punish her because I was found wandering the halls of the women’s dormitory this morning shouting her name and hoping to find her? I am guilty of having more than a small crush on her. It’s not her fault _she’s fucking gorgeous and amazing_.”

Rey winked at him. _Damn it, Pix._ The way she bit her lip to keep from smiling, struggling to look like she was paying attention to the officials, told him that she knew that she’d be paying for that later. God, he loved her. She was his match. Ben never thought he would meet a woman that checked all his boxes and then some. He had never wanted a relationship. When he got her alone, he was going to use every power at his disposal to convince her to move to the States with him and train full time.

“ _Language, Mr. Solo!_ ” the man bellowed at him. “We have it on good authority that you were observed leaving a public house with Ms. Kenobi last night, headed to her building, and that you were both displaying behavior that was…well… _amorous_. Security footage is inconclusive, but it _appears_ that you entered the women’s dormitory together.”

Ben grew still, his dark brows drawing together in a menacing line. _Fucking Hux._

As soon as he retired from the sport, Ben had plans to schedule an epic ass-beating of that ginger asshole. Especially after what Rey had told him this morning.

 _Armitage Hux had put his hands on Rey._  

Yep. Ben was going to beat his ass and he was going to fucking sell tickets.

Apparently, Rey had kept silent long enough. She shot out of her chair and slapped both palms on the conference table. _Oh, this is going to be good_ , Ben thought, crossing his arms over his chest.

“ _That’s_ the evidence you have against us? _That?”_

His girl was fucking _seething_. Ben would have busied himself with admiring the view of his vengeful Pixie, but he knew that what Rey was about to say was serious and would have a lasting impact on their sport.

Rey’s voice dropped down very low. “I cannot remember what your name is, sir, but if I or my attorneys find out that _Armitage Hux_ is the person who made that report, and _believe me_ , as of this moment _I will_ be directing them to inquire through legal means, expect that I will sue _you_ and the International Olympic Organization until I can host my own Olympics complete with dancing bears, foam raves, and caviar.”

Ben couldn’t help it. He burst out laughing, long and loud. Rey turned to look at him for a moment, giving him the stink eye, before whipping her head back to continue.

Rey was not done. _Not. Even. Close._ Ben had to stop himself from grinning with Joker-like glee.

_Get him, Pix!_

“I have made no less than _three separate complaints_ about sexual harassment and misconduct by Armitage Hux through every possible channel of this organization without response. Armitage Hux touched me inappropriately several times, during joint practices between the men’s and women’s fencing teams, _starting when I was sixteen years old!_ I have repeatedly rebuffed those advances until I finally had to defend myself when he cornered me in an equipment closet, assuring me that I should want to be with him because he was the _best_.”

_What the fuck?_

The official sunk in his chair, his face going pale.

 _Yeah, fucker,_ Ben plotted silently. _You better be scared because if Rey doesn’t come after you with a full complement of attorneys, I fucking will. That’s what trust funds are for._

Rey’s coaches from the UK were red with discomfort and sputtering like the coffee percolators on the credenza. “Rey, you know that we took your allegations very seriously. We followed protocol for reporting the complaints.”

Rey wasn’t having it. “Bullshit, coach!” she spat. “You can make up any story that you like for these people, but I _know_ that the complaints never made it to the national level, much less the international one. My grandfather was the most famous fencing champion of his time. Are you so stupid that you don’t know that he had connections? You wanted to keep your champion, build notoriety in your program, and avoid scandal. This started when I was _sixteen years old_. I was terrified. I have had to fight Hux alone while remaining competitive. _I am not playing any longer._ ”

The official who had started the meeting spoke up. “Now, Ms. Kenobi,” the man said in a patronizing tone that pissed Ben the hell off, “that’s a separate issue. I am confident that it will be addressed through appropriate channels. Here’s how this is going to go-“

Now it was Ben’s turn to speak. “ _Fuck that_ ,” he hissed, leaning forward in his seat and reaching for Rey’s hand to let her know that he had her back. Always. “ _Don’t you ever fucking talk to her like that again!_ _I_ will tell _you_ how this will go.

‘First, Rey Kenobi and I are going to leave here today with our medals intact and with abject apologies from everyone in this room for giving credence to an unsubstantiated report from a man who should be stripped of his medals, banned from competing internationally, and in jail for what is tantamount to _sanctioned_ stalking and sexual harassment _of a child_.  

‘Next, my expectation and the expectation of _my_ lawyers, because I will be calling them into back-up Ms. Kenobi’s, is that discreet and appropriate attention will be given to her complaints or expect that the information she shared _will_ be made known to the appropriate authorities and the international press.”

Ben was in a fine rage now, shaking a finger of his free hand at the official. Rey squeezed his hand.

“Finally,” Ben enumerated, “this committee will make _no comments_ , public or private, on the nature of our relationship. With less than 48 hours left of this circus, I doubt that anyone gives a shit that Ben Solo is in love with a girl. If these things do not happen, I can guarantee that there will be a backlash. After the Olympic scandals of the last few years, I doubt that this organization can bear much more scandal before politicians and heads of government get involved. In short, while underwater basket weaving and fucking badminton are going on today, everyone is going to leave us the fuck alone. We will show up at the closing ceremonies tomorrow and wave our little flags _. Have I made myself clear?”_

Ben turned his head to look at Rey. “Are you ready, Pixie?”

Rey bent to grab her bag and then squeezed his hand again. “Yes,” she said. “I believe that we are late for pancakes and bacon.”

“So we are,” Ben agreed, raising her hand to his mouth to give her a tender kiss on her knuckles.

Ben led his girl out of a room that had fallen silent with cooperation.

 

***

 As soon as the door shut behind them, Rey practically climbed him, planting kisses all over his face. “Ben!” she exclaimed, pulling back just as he was getting involved in her excitement, “that was amazing! The looks on their faces!”

“And what about you?” Ben kissed her forehead. “You were amazing, Pixie. I was so proud of you.”

Rey suddenly went still, a blush rushing up to her cheeks. “You…you said that…”

“That I’m in love with you?” Ben raised a brow, knowing where she was scared to go and pulling off the band-aid for her.

“Yes. _That_. You love me?” Rey looked cautiously up at his face, studying the look in his eyes.

Ben didn’t like the vulnerability painted on her face. If he was willing to scream it in front of a roomful of pompous bureaucrats, he was certainly willing to tell the woman herself that she had become everything to him at the speed of light.

“Yes, Rey,” Ben spoke, holding her eyes, willing her to see how serious he was, “I’m in love with you.” He glanced down for a moment. He was accustomed to direct conversations but unaccustomed to those that involved his own vulnerabilities. People had always “loved” him… _with conditions._ He wanted to be important to someone for once without them. “That’s what I was getting at when I asked if you were mine.” His throat suddenly felt dry. “I know that it was fast and unexpected, but it’s-”

Rey attacked his mouth with hers, plunging her tongue inside, framing his face with her small hands. Ben wrapped his arms around her waist, keeping her at face level with him, enjoying the reward of her touch. The blood raced in his veins as he connected again with exactly how much he wanted her. Deep pools of want. Endless streams of desire and tenderness. Rey was precious to him when few things in his life were precious to him.

Ben needed to hear her say one thing, but he didn’t want to push her.

Rey broke off the kiss with a loud smack. “I love you, too, Ben!” She smiled at him, that wide, gleaming, toothpaste-commercial smile. He was mesmerized. Ensorcelled. Struck dumb.

Rey looked delighted and she wore it beautifully. Delight was different than happiness. Delight was something that Ben had _done_ to her rather than something that just _was_. He felt ridiculously proud of it. He wanted to delight her again.

Intellectually, Ben knew that their relationship was moving at fast, but it felt necessary.

Rey crooked one lovely, winged eyebrow at him. “You know, I am still not letting you off the hook. You are still wearing my uniform to the closing ceremonies tomorrow.”

Ben laughed. “Yes, dear. I would never welsh on a bet.” Suddenly, Ben could see an entire lifetime of sass between them. He wanted that. He wanted it more than medals or his next fencing bout. “In the meantime, Pixie, I have some thoughts about how we should spend the time between now and my debut tomorrow.”

Rey smiled at him again. “Oh, you do?” She searched his face again with playful intent, moving his cheek one way and then the other. “Ah, you do.”

Ben grabbed her hand again and swung it between them as they headed toward the elevator hall.

“Pancakes first?” Ben winked at his girl.

The smile on Rey’s face was one that Ben wished he could freeze and play again and again.

“Pancakes first!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was a fun little chapter because Rey is able to take back some of the power that Hux stole from her and that Ben backs her up. Things are moving REALLY fast, so you know that at some point, stuff will hit the fan. 
> 
> Also, random thought, I want to eat pancakes with Ben Solo. 
> 
> Let me know your thoughts! Thanks for being patient and for reading! XOXO

**Author's Note:**

> My friends, my friends...I have broken my own rule and started a new fic before finishing another in progress. For those of you who may be reading Humility, I PROMISE that I will be updating both as often as possible. This one just called to me and I couldn't stop myself.
> 
> Please, please let me know your thoughts on this, my first AU fic, with Ben & Rey. Compliments and criticisms are equally welcome. Whatever you do, please feed me with comments. It helps me keep going! Thanks in advance!


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